Long-term thermal storages have potential for decarbonizing heating, but are operated under high uncertainty regarding future heating demand and electricity prices. The OTSO project investigates how sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) weather forecasts could prove beneficial for guiding the optimal operation of long-term storages. We combine state-of-the-art knowledge in meteorology, energy systems and integrated assessment modeling, which ultimately allows us to assess how tailored S2S forecasts could help in guiding optimal storage operation and facilitate decarbonization in the heating sector. In addition to producing state-of-the-art scientific knowledge, we collaborate closely with industry partners through a piloting experiment during two heating seasons to ensure the practical relevance of our work.

2026

2029